A professional crew from the city’s Building Maintenance/Facilities Division descended on the Ocean Beach lifeguard station on Abbott Street on Nov. 7 to launch into a facelift of the weathered building.

Longtime city worker and professional painter Wayne Hurlbert and a crew of five set to water blasting, priming and painting the lifeguard tower, restoring it to a shiny new facade.

According to Hurlbert, salt air had caused a chalky buildup on the building, forcing workers to water blast the entire structure first. The crew worked to ensure the washed-off mix did not get into the storm drains.

After prepping the metal frames on the building in order for the primer to stick, the exterior of the tower was primed to bond the paint.

It was not immediately clear whether the structure might need one or more coats, “depending on how it [the paint] covers,” said Hurlbert. “[Because of budget cuts,] we're down to a skeleton crew of six, but we get the job done expertly. No matter what people say, we’re there when a good team is needed. This is the most professional crew of painters you can get.”